What’s that? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No – it’s Superman! And he just happens to be dangling from the façade of the Hospital Sabará Infantil in São Paulo. He’s also brought along his friends Batman and Flash from the Marvel Comics universe, and the three of them have come not to rid the world of evil but – to clean the windows. The young patients inside the hospital building cannot believe their eyes. They laugh, they wave and smile incredulously: It’s a real-life superhero adventure!

The management staff at Hospital Sabará Infantil came up with the idea to commemorate Children’s Day, which is celebrated on October 12th in Brazil and where it is customary for parents to give their children presents. To make this day little easier for the modern hospital’s young patients, many of whom are gravely ill, the window washers dressed up as Batman, Captain America & Co. to carry out their risky job and they waved to the kids as they cleaned the glass façade of the building.

“Moments like these help to make their stay in hospital a little easier to bear for the children,” explains José Luiz Setubal, Hospital Sabará Infantil. “Little things like this cheer them up and help the children to forget their pain and the treatment.”